The Beginning
by arod
Summary: A one-shot fic about the meetingforming of the Marauders. Please readreview!


Just a one-shot fic about their meeting. I had to include some Lily, because we all love L/J stuff, right? grins Well, review, please! I want to know what you think!  
  
James and Sirius had been best friends for what seemed like their entire life. They had once tried to figure out where they had met, and had, in essence, failed. James had a vague memory of a party that his grandmother had thrown, and of meeting Sirius there, under the table, dungbomb in hand... But they would have been about four at the time, and he wasn't entirely sure that was plausible. Sirius, of course, insisted they had met at the hospital moments after being born.  
  
The facts remained, however, that they were as close as could be. Sirius was the brother that James always wished for, and James was the family that Sirius felt he really was related to. They shared everything from brooms to robes, and it was James that kept Sirius from breaking down in his insane family.  
  
And, of course, they had both received Hogwarts letters. They had gone eagerly to Diagon Alley together, and had bought textbooks, robes, wands, and cauldrons. And, of course, they restocked their pranking supply, seeing as they weren't sure how they would come across important things like that while at Hogwarts.  
  
Now, September 1st, James sat in an otherwise empty compartment, having escaped from the tearful embraces his mother was pressing upon him. Sirius had yet to make an appearance, but James knew that Sirius was just being pressured by his own mum, something that James made a point not to get in the way of.  
  
And two minutes later, it was a disgruntled Sirius indeed that joined James in the compartment. 'Apparently she still has hope that I'm not a complete disgrace,'  
  
'Wants you to get into Slytherin, then?' James asked casually.  
  
'Of course.' Sirius imitated his mothers high voice bitterly. "'Be more like Bellatrix, Sirius. She's a good, respectable daughter.' I told her should could adopt Bellatrix if she wanted, and then added that I was a boy and therefore unable to be a respectable daughter.'  
  
James laughed. 'You don't want to be like Bellatrix anyway. I've met your cousin, and she's insane,'  
  
'Yeah, and so's my mum. I think it runs in the family,'  
  
'You'll get into Gryffindor, anyway- like me,'  
  
Sirius grinned mischievously. 'Who says you'll get into Gryffindor?'  
  
James smirked. 'It runs in the family,' he imitated. Sirius rolled his eyes.  
  
'But maybe the blood will win after all, if family traditions play such a part,'  
'They don't, mate. I don't think the other Slytherins would want you anyway,'  
  
They snickered.  
  
The compartment door slid open, halting their conversation, and a pale, withdrawn boy peered in.  
  
'Oh. I- I'm sorry. I, er, I didn't realize there were people here. I'll just-- sorry,' He started to slid the door shut again, but James stopped him.  
  
'Hey, you're welcome to join us,'  
  
The boy's eyes widened slightly, and then he smiled, shyly. 'Thanks.' He sat down.  
  
'I'm James Potter, and this bloke is Sirius Black,'  
  
'I can introduce myself, thanks,'  
  
Remus smiled again. 'I'm Remus. Remus Lupin,' he told them.  
  
'Great. You're a first year, too, I assume?'  
  
'Yep.' Remus now seemed to feel the need to contribute something more to the conversation, for he added, 'what house do you want to get into you?'  
  
'Gryffindor,' Sirius and James instantly replied in unison.  
  
'Me too,' Remus said. Then, after a pause, 'are you scared?'  
  
'What?'  
  
Remus blushed faintly. 'I don't know. I just worry that I'll get there and they'll send me home,'  
  
'That's absurd, mate. If you got the letter, you're in,'  
  
'But what about the sorting?' Remus pressed.  
  
Sirius looked nervous himself; the sorting was what worried him as well.  
  
James smiled confidently, trying to ease his friends nerves. 'It'll be fine, for two magnificent wizards as us,'  
  
'Technically, we're not really wizards yet,' Remus pointed out.  
  
'Sure we are,' James smirked. 'Just underage ones,'  
  
Remus smiled, and the ice seemed to be mainly broken. The three proceeded to then enter a rather heated debate over Quidditch teams, until they were interrupted, once again, by the opening of the compartment door.  
  
'Mind if I sit here? Everything else is rather full,' The speaker was a short, plump boy with rather watery small eyes and a nervous smile.  
  
'Go ahead,' Sirius said smoothly. 'I'm Sirius Black,'  
  
The boy looked almost frightened at the last name.  
  
'James Potter,'  
  
'Remus Lupin.' Remus looked rather pleased to not be the newcomer.  
  
'I'm Peter Pettigrew,' the plump boy squeaked. 'Are you all first years?'  
  
'Of course,' Sirius asked, a touch of his usual mock disdain in his voice.  
  
And so they met.  
  
'I heard you have to wrestle a troll,' Peter told them in his odd, hesitant manner.'  
  
'Bullocks,' Remus disagreed. 'You have to perform a spell or something,'  
  
Sirius shot James a nervous look, but for a rather different reason from the rest of the first years.  
  
They were all clumped together, after having just entered the magnificent castle. They had all piled into boats and were rowed across a large and rather black lake.  
  
'Black,' someone said. Sirius and James turned to see Sirius' cousin, Bellatrix, smirking at him. 'I wish you had a different name. You're a disgrace to the family,'  
  
'Nice to see you to,' Sirius said evenly.  
  
'Spare me the necessities. I came to tell you what my mum said,'  
  
'And what's that, dear cousin?' Sirius said with a casual lift of one eyebrow.  
  
Bellatrix looked furious at the open admittance that they were related. James knew that Sirius did it only to get Bellatrix miffed. Really, Sirius was just as ashamed of the relation as Bellatrix was. 'This is your last chance. If you screw it up, you'll be disowned,'  
  
'Screw what up?'  
  
'Don't play dumb. You know I mean the sorting. If you're not in Slytherin, there will be hell to pay,'  
  
'You want me in Slytherin? Dear cousin, I feel so loved,'  
  
With a murderous glare, Bellatrix whirled around and left them. James opened his mouth to reassure his now-pale mate, but before he could speak, a stern, young looking professor, her hair pulled back into a severe bun, addressed them.  
  
'First years,' she announced. 'Follow me, please,'  
  
James, who felt that her stern gaze had been directed rather pointedly towards his perpetually unruly hair, tried in vain to smooth it down as he hurried to keep up with Sirius' long strides. Remus and Peter were just behind him.  
  
They were ushered into a large, great hall, lit by hundreds of candles floating in the air, and with a large ceiling. The ceiling caught James' attention. It was a black, starry night. He wondered if they was really no ceiling, or if it was an enchantment or something.  
  
'That's not the real ceiling,' he heard someone behind him say. 'It was enchanted to look like that,'  
  
James turned around to view the speaker, a small, pretty witch with a shock of red hair, and nice looking green eyes. She was pretty, James thought. So, he went about capturing her attention: make fun of her, of course. 'Oh, really?' he questioned cynically.  
The girl looked miffed at his tone. 'Yes,' she said confidently, turning slightly red. 'I read about it in Hogwarts: A History.'  
  
James smirked at her. 'Well, duh. Everyone knows that,' He considered telling Sirius this startlingly new information, but decided against it. The girl's face was now as red as her hair as she glared murderously at him. He was rather pleased.  
  
Sirius, however, was turning faintly green.  
  
The great hall had four long tables, one for each house. At the front of the room was another long table, this one for professors. And in front of the table, directly in front of the small cluster of first-years, was a stool, with a ragged, dirty hat atop it.  
  
To James' surprise, the hat opened it's mouth- what he had previously taken for as only a large rip above the brim- and burst into a song about the history of Hogwarts.  
  
When it had finished, the severe professor stepped forward and began to call names from a scroll.  
  
'Abbot, Mark,' hurried forward, sat on the stool, and placed the hat on his head. The hat was silent for a moment before yelling out, 'HUFFLEPUFF!'  
  
The great hall, the Hufflepuff table in particular, clapped, and Mark ran to his seat. Was that it? James wondered. That was the sorting? He felt slightly relieved.  
  
The sorting continued on, and James felt himself tone it out, worrying instead about his friends, and the houses they would get into, and what house he would get into, and how difficult classes would be... He only stopped his reverie when the professor called, "Black, Bellatrix,'  
  
Sirius' cousin, a tall, almost pretty girl with thick dark hair, and hooded eyes, walked confidently forward. Sirius was now definitely green. The hat had barely touched her head before it called out 'SLYTHERIN' and Bellatrix went to the Slytherin table, a self-satisfied smirk on her face.  
  
'Black, Sirius,' the professor called. James whacked his friend on the back for good luck, and then crossed his fingers. The hall, Slytherin table in particular, was suddenly deadly quiet. It seemed that almost everyone knew of Sirius' family. Which was not altogether surprising, considering how prominent they were.  
  
The hat was placed on Sirius' head.  
  
What followed seemed to James as the longest pause on earth. And then the hat opened it's mouth, and called out 'GRYFFINDOR!'  
  
James let out a whoop, and the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers.  
  
Bellatrix had a slightly maniacal grin on her face as she watched her cousin make his way to the Gryffindor table.  
  
Now that Sirius had been sorted, James was able to worry about himself. He knew that his family was placed in Gryffindor- it was a tradition. But tradition could be broken. What if he didn't get in? What if the hat just sat on his head until Professor Dumbledore- the new headmaster- took it off and told him that there had been some mistake?  
  
'Evans, Lily,' the professor called, and the red-head that James had spoken to early hurried up. Just as she was sitting down, her eyes met James' and he stuck his tongue out at her. Turning red with anger once more, the girl shot him yet another glare before sticking out her own tongue. The hat was on her head for only a moment before she, too, was declared a Gryffindor.  
  
James watched with growing apprehension as 'Lupin, Remus,' was made a Gryffindor, and then, after quite a long pause, 'Pettigrew, Peter,' was as well. [A/N: was he really? That makes no sense. Peter is far from brave. But how would he be a Marauder if he was in a different house? Like, say, Hufflepuff? Not that he's at all loyal. Or smart. So I guess no house really works for him, huh?]  
  
Then it was his turn. 'Potter, James!' the woman called out, and James strode confidently to the hat. He put it on his head.  
  
'Hmmmmm,' a tiny voice said into his ear. 'A Potter. And, oh yes, quite brave. He's loyal, too, and clever- but brave, yes, brave. Well, I know just what to do with you- I'll put you into GRYFFINDOR!' The hat shouted this last word to the hall, and James went to sit with the Gryffindor table, along with his new friends.  
  
'We all made it into Gryffindor!' he said excitedly, sitting down next to Sirius and across from Remus.  
  
Sirius looked thrilled. 'I hate Slytherins,' he said, most likely referring to his cousin and the boos he had received after sorting. He looked happy to be able to announce that without fear that he would soon become one of them. 'Let's prank them. We have enough stuff. We can make a club. A Slytherin-pranking club,'  
  
The other three agreed eagerly.  
  
'We need a name,' Peter said.  
  
'The Marauders,' Remus suggested confidently.  
  
'The Maruaders... I like it!' Sirius announced. James and Peter agreed.  
  
'To the Marauders,' James said solemnly.  
  
They each picked up their goblets and clinked them in a toast.  
  
They had no idea how far that prank club would go, and how much that friendship would endure.  
  
THE END 


End file.
